International Court of Justice ruling confirms that Israel’s presence in Palestinian territory is unlawful
In response to a 2022 request from the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible” in its 83-page advisory opinion issued by the 15-judge panel.
Stating that “Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,” the court said Israel has no right to sovereignty of the territories and is impeding Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Professor John Dugard SC and Max du Plessis SC acted for Palestine and for Qatar, respectively. Both continue working in the legal team in the separate case before the UN brought by South Africa alleging genocide in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since 7 October 2022, in which the ICJ’s’ latest ruling in May ordered Israel to halt its assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
